What is this highly efficient oxygen catalyst? What can this new catalyst do and can it be a use for the developing scientific generation? Lets check out the answers to this questions!
A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found one of the most effective catalysts ever discovered for splitting oxygen atoms from water molecules — a key reaction for advanced energy-storage systems. This new catalyst liberates oxygen at more than 10 times the rate of the best previously known catalyst of its type.
As told by the researchers the new compound is composed of cobalt, iron and oxygen with other metals and splits the oxygen from water which is also called the Oxygen Evolution Reaction at a rate of at least an order of magnitude which is more higher than the compound currently considered the gold standard for such reactions . The compound’s high level of activity will be predicted from a systematic experimental by looking at the the catalytic activity of 10 known compounds.The scientists found that reactivity depended on a specific characteristic i.e the configuration of the outermost electron of transition metal ions. and after knowing this they will be able to use this information to predict the high reactivity of the new compound — which after knowing was confirmed by the lab tests done in the University. The not only identified a fundamental principle which governs the Oxygen Evolution Reaction activity of different compounds, but also they found a new compound based on that principle, as suggested by Shao-Horn, (1978) Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
Many other groups have been also searching for more efficient catalysts to speed the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. This reaction is key to the production of hydrogen which is now used as a fuel in cars; the operation of some rechargeable batteries, including zinc-air batteries; and to generate electricity in devices called fuel cells. Two catalysts are needed to do such a reaction i.e one that liberates the hydrogen atoms, and another for the oxygen atoms but the oxygen reaction has will be a the limiting factor in such systems.Scientists are now working with Nocera, integrating their catalyst with his artificial leaf to produce a self-contained system to generate hydrogen and oxygen when placed in an alkaline solution. They will also be exploring different configurations of the catalyst material to better understand the mechanisms involved. Their initial tests used a powder form of the catalyst but they are now planning to try thin films to better understand the reactions.They also found the highest rate of activity yet seen and they are now still searching for even more efficient catalyst materials and they belief that there may be other catalysts with even more higher activity.
Scientists are still trying to find catalysts with even more higher activity. So keep waiting for more new highly efficient catalysts.
[via: MIT University]
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